The Rensselaer Alumni Association presented its 2002 Distinguished Service Award to Alex Young 58. He was cited for his enthusiastic commitment to achieving success for the association and for Rensselaer.

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is the highest award the Rensselaer Alumni Association bestows. It was created in 1967 by the RAA Board of Trustees to recognize distinguished service by alumni and friends to Rensselaer, to a profession, to the nation, or to humanity.

This award is given to those who are a source of enormous pride for Rensselaer, said President Shirley Ann Jackson. The association extends its very special appreciation to Alex Young for his long and devoted allegiance to the success of its programs.

Youngs involvement with Rensselaer spans more than four decades. In the 1960s, he helped to plan the Jonsson-Rowland Science Center; in the 1970s, he provided his home as the center of Rensselaer activity in Ohio; in the 1980s, he joined the RAA Board of Trustees; and in the 1990s, he was elected to the Institute Board of Trustees.

Awarded the Demers Medal in 1991, Young was cited as being instrumental in establishing the Heffner Alumni House as a campus focal point for alumni support. He served as the RAA president in 1989-90, the year the building opened. Young and his wife, Betsy, are members of the Stephen Van Rensselaer Society of Patroons and the Heritage Society.

For 30 years Alex and his wife, Betsy, have devoted countless days to building alumni enthusiasm, said President Jackson.

Young is the retired president, CEO, and chairman of Rotex Inc., a manufacturer of industrial screening machinery and analyzers in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he has been active in community affairs and a participant in the arts.

Dick Bouchard 58, Youngs classmate and last years DSA recipient, accepted the award for Young, who was unable to attend the awards ceremony in June.

There are so many reasons why Alex deserves the DSA that it is difficult to know where to begin, said Bouchard. His service to the alumni association is extensive, his leadership in the community is recognized, and his commitment to the ideals and mission of Rensselaer is unwavering.

From the early days when I first met him, I knew he was destined for great things, and this award from the RAA recognizes his lifetime of truly distinguished service, said Bouchard.